Space Missions

State Secretary Martina Hirayama and Joseph Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between Switzerland and ESA establishing a joint Centre of Excellence at the Paul-Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland, ESA said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Huntsville International Airport (HSV) a commercial space vehicle reentry license, the airport said. HSV, located in North Alabama, is the first commercial airport in the U.S. to be approved as a reentry site for a space vehicle landing.

Launch vehicle company Astra, revealed its new launch vehicle suitable for heavier payloads and more frequent launches. Rocket 4.0 is part of the company’s Launch System 2.0. The launch vehicle will be able to carry up to 300 kg into low Earth orbit at a base price of US $3.95 million.

Commercial space company Axiom Space, celebrated groundbreaking at the company’s new headquarters at Ellington Airport, the site of the Houston Spaceport in Space City. Axiom Space will construct a campus of offices, astronaut training, and mission control facilities, engineering development and testing labs, as well as a production facility.

Australian commercial space launch provider Southern Launch, announced it has opened its new headquarters following the expansion of its space launch services and applied space engineering consultancy operations in the country. The facilities in Hindmarsh, South Australia, include a warehouse for space vehicles preparing to launch as well as office space.

The United Kingdom and the United States signed a partnership to boost opportunities in the UK, the UK Government reported. The agreement lays the foundation for rockets, high-altitude balloons and spaceplanes to lift off from British spaceports. The UK and the US work together on future commercial spaceflight missions in the Smithsonian Institution, according to the partnership.

Our Space Café WebTalk “33 minutes with Nicole Thalhofer: The BDLI – Lobby of the German Space Industry and Organizer of the Unique ILA Space Pavilion” took place on Tuesday, 10th May. Nicole Thalhofer is the Head of Space Department and Lawyer at the German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI).

Space Café "Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland" will analyse current space developments with a legal focus. It will, at the same time discuss and ‘demystify’ the law for everyone. In our next Space Café “Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland”, Host Steven Freeland and Co-Host Torsten Kriening, SpaceWatch.Global’s Publisher, welcome Ranjana Kaul and Kai-Uwe Schrogl 

Sub-meter resolution Earth observation data collection company Satellogic, announced that it has entered into a teaming agreement with German real-time risk and disaster intelligence provider Mayday.ai, to improve data intelligence for risk and disaster management.

Sustainable in-orbit services company ClearSpace, is joining the Net Zero Space initiative launched by the Paris Peace Forum to avoid generating and actively remove debris from orbit, the company said. The program brings major industry players together to ensure safe and sustainable space operations.